WOW Higher Education Service Experience

Creating a WOW Service Experience

Presented by Dr. Jim BlackPresident & CEO of SEM Works

• Needs and Expectations of Today’s Students

• Institutional Promise• Three Key Ingredients of WOW Service

Delivery• Best Practices in Student Services• Essential Service Skills and Strategies

Delivering WOWService

WOW Service is not…• Suggesting a business model for

customer service• Aligning with “the customer is always

right” philosophy• Allowing students to escape their

responsibilities• Reducing or eliminating consequences

for the actions or inactions of students• Implying that opportunities for student

success should be artificially enhanced

College-Centered vs. Student-Centered

Need and Expectations of

Today’s Students

Zero tolerance for delays.

High tech, high touch services.

Emerging Trends

Consumer expectations.

Seeking edutainment.

Diverse students with diverse needs.

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2

3

4

5

Today’s Students Needs/Expectations

Speed Convenience Customization Seamless and intuitive High tech and high touch Educational vs.

transactional

FinancialAid

Advising

Registration

Paying the Bill

Student Success

INTE

GR

ATE

D S

TU

DE

NT S

ER

VIC

ES

Source: UNC

Orientation

The Student Experience

Admission

The Student Economy

ServiceEconomy

ExperienceEconomy

What they sell is the ability for a 43 year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns,and have people be afraid of him.

Harley Davidson does NOT sellmotorcycles...

Disney does NOT sell rides...

What they sell are memories and experiences… the Tower of Terror…character breakfast… clean amusement parks… cast members, etc.

The student, not the institution, will define what learning is, how it is to happen, and when and where it occurs. Students with increased alternatives for learning will also have higher expectations for the level of individualized service provided by the non-teaching staff and regarding the services surrounding the learning.

Source: Community College of Baltimore County

Institutional Promise

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2

3

5

46

FROM TO

Understanding

the PromiseLiving the

Promise

Operationalizing

the PromiseDelivering on the Promise

Conveying

the Promise

Defining the Promise

The Power of

CongruenceClaims Delivery

Expectation = Reality

Sample Institutional Promise

Preparing Futures

Education that is

Relevant

Connections with People

A Place that Supports Success

Pathways to Opportunitie

s

Sample Promise

Sample Promise Pillars

Delivering on the Promise

InstitutionalPromise

StudentExperience

EmployeeExperience

Moments of Truth

InstitutionalExperience

InstitutionalLoyalty

Institutional Loyalty

competitive advantage

student satisfaction “word of mouth”

recruiting student retention student loyalty fundraising institutional image institutional vitality

Three Key Ingredients of WOW Service

Delivery

Keeping the Promise

Peo

ple

Information

Promise Elements

Process

The bottom line…

There is no chance to create a WOWservice experience if systems, processes,and policies are dysfunctional or unreliable.

Managing Moments of Truth

We have thousandsof moments of truth

every day.

How we managethem enhances or

erodes school loyalty.

Service

Dimension

Definition

Reliability 30% The ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.

Responsiveness 25% The willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.

Assurance 20%The knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence.

Empathy 18%

The caring, individualized attention provided to the customer.

Tangibles 7% The appearance of facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials.

Defining Quality Service

Execution is Everything!

People – the only sustainable competitive advantage that exists.

Motivation vs. Competencies

High

LowLow High

Positive attitude butfrustrated

High performing

Unproductive,possiblycounter-

productive

Capable but frustrated

Student Satisfaction Factors

• Faculty and staff attitudes• Personalization of services and

instruction• Problem solving ability• Information access and usability• Information accuracy and reliability• Service and instructional efficiency• Responsiveness• Message handling• Student runaround

Process Reengineering

I just want to start my

college experience.

Process-Oriented Services

Get

Admitted

Pay for

Classes

Register for

Classes

Select

Classes

Become a

Student

Attend

Orientation

Wayfinding

Submit/RequestInformation

Apply forFinancial

Aid

Apply forAdmission

Are allcredentials

in?

AdmitDecision

Get Advised

Take Placement

Test

Register for Classes

Pay forClasses

Wayfinding

• Intuitive signage• Kiosks• Visual process maps• “Steps to” diagrams• Process-oriented

labeling• Intuitive information

architecture• Screencasts• Streaming video• English language query

tools• Help agents

Critical Processes• Campus visits• Student inquiries• Admissions processing• Communications flow• Student enrollment• Orientation• Academic advising and

registration• Paying for college• Class scheduling• Degree planning

The Campus Visit Experience

Welcome to the College

The Pre-Arrival Experience

Online (form) or phone visit reservations

Rapid acknowledgementCampus directions (Google map,

MapQuest, or GPS coordinates)Links to area hotel accommodationsFlight informationVisit agendaTour guide information

Adapted from:Campus Visits and College Interviews by Zola Dincin Schneider.

Source: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/campus-visit-guide/campus-visit-

checklist

The Arrival Experience

Welcome signage or banners on campus

Welcoming gate personnelReserved parkingIntuitive pathway from parking to

the tour launch pointBest locationTour launch and presentation

environmentWelcome by Admissions staff

Reception area Visual impact (paint,

plants, pictures, signage)

Auditory impact (background noise and music)

Emotional impact (school paraphernalia, student and alumni success stories, outcomes by the numbers)

Display rack Umbrellas Refreshments Multimedia

Design first impressions

Create a “signature moment”

Personalize the visitEngender emotionHave visitors live

your institution through hands-on experiences

Surprise your visitors

The Campus Visit Experience

The Presentation

Information lightVisual heavyTakeawaysKnow your audienceCustomize based on audience interestsContent

Key institutional selling points (academic and student life)

Storytelling Enrollment steps Financial aid basics A preview of the campus tour

The Campus TourThe “Money Walk”Tour guide affinity matchingTour guide skill development

Presentation skillsListening skillsGroup dynamics

Cell phonesAttireTime management

The tour

guide is the tour.

Post-Visit Experience

Personal note from tour guideFaculty contactAlumni contactTour evaluation (impact on

decision to enroll)

Best Practices in Student Services

Integrated Services

Strategy Worksheet

Strategy Domain

Vision Functionality/Scope

Service Protocols

Roles & Responsi-

bilities

Capacity Requireme

nts

One-Stop

Unified Student Experience

Contact Center

Website/ Social Media

Communi-cations

Virtual Service

Knowledge Management

Integrated Services

One-Stop Services

A Campus-wide Service Philosophy

A service philosophy is a shared ethos that

guides organizational and individual

behavior affecting interactions with those

you serve.

Inbound calls (enrollment and financial aid)

Email responses

Web chat

Social media

No-Stop Services

Integration of English language

query tool, web chat, and video tutorials.

Integration of English language

query tool, web chat, and video tutorials.

No-Stop Services

Portal Strategy

Website Strategy

Website Strategy

Any-Stop Services

Any-Stop Services

Essential Service Skills

and Strategies

Communication Channels

In Person Phone Mail Email DigitalMedia

SocialMedia

How can webest connect with

and serve ourstudents?

In Person Strategies• Listen before you speak• Ask open-ended questions• Parrot back what you think you have

heard• Choose the right words• Add welcome words to your

vocabulary• Avoid jargon• Speak professionally• Review the main points

In Person Strategies

• Make sure your tone matches the message

• Demonstrate empathy• Smile• Make eye contact• Have an inviting posture• Reflect your institution’s personality

Phone Strategies

Call me. I want to know you care about me as a future student at your school.

Phone Strategies

• Answer with a smile

• Answer with energy

• Answer on the first ring

• Maintain an inviting posture

• Plan your greeting

• Establish a rapport

• Put your best ear forward

• Write down key points

Phone Strategies

• Give the caller your full attention

• Show your human side

• Recap any action you may be taking on the callers behave

• Ask if you can help with anything else

• Provide your name again

• Thank the person for calling

Mail Strategies

• Centrally coordinated

• Multiple authors• Personalization• Tone• Tailored messages• Proof points• A call to action• The power of the

P.S.• Enclosures

Email Strategies

• Personalization• Tailored messages• Driving traffic• XTML vs. text only• Multimedia• Third party

validation• A call to action

Social Media Strategies

Go where they are.

Engage. Don’t communicate.

Social Media Strategies

• Listen and engage

• Permission-based

• No creeping• The human

touch• Targeted ads• Pay per click• Event promotion• Becoming a fan

Reactive

Transactional

Proactive

TransactionalLo

yalty

Bui

ldin

g Support Service Engagem

ent

Relationship Management

Student Communications

Delivering on the institution’s

promise

Deadlines, support services, service tutorials, degree

completion

Individual needs and service and learning

preferences

Missed deadlines, early interventions, policy

implications

Awareness of services offered, service hours,

service benefits

Current Student Communications

Learner Attributes

Learner Needs

Audience-basedMessages

Calls to Action

Trans-actional

Learner Engagement

Relationship Management

SuccessBuilding

Audience Messaging

AlumGraduate4th Term3rd Term2nd Term1st TermEnrolledAdmitAppInquiry

Inquiry Generation

& CultivationAdmit

Conversion

Application Completion

Student SuccessBehaviors & Plan, Academic & Social

Integration

Mentoring Relationships,

Program Affinity, Career Guidance

InitialEnrollment Transition

Student Engagement,

Sense of Community

Career Guidance,Completion Strategies,

Loyalty

Transition,Loyalty

Loyalty,Employment,

Advanced Education

FormerStudents

CurrentStudents

FutureStudents

Enrollment Stage

Communication AudienceDelivery Method

Timeline ObjectiveEffectiveness

Measure

Continued Enrollment    

Postcard announcement regarding priority registration and meeting with advisors

non-graduating students

Mail October/ March

register for classes

number of registered students

Banners and fliers advertising priority registration

continuing students

Display October/ March

register for classes

number of registered students

Ad in school paper advertising priority registration

continuing students

News-paper

October/ March

register for classes

number of registered students

Web banner promoting priority registration with link to registration system

continuing students

E-mail, Web

October/ March

register for classes

number of registered students

Reminder to register for classes before leaving for the semester

non-registrants

E-mail, auto-mated phone message, Web posting

December/April

register for classes

number of registered students

Campaign encouraging eligible students to use financial aid funds for Summer I classes

continuing students with remaining financial aid eligibility

Mail April register for Summer I classes

number of registered students

www.semworks.net